Alaina Margaret Droog's Favorite Things!

Photo Julianna McGuirl

You all know Alaina Margaret Droog from her amazing music, including her recent single "Too Soon?", which I am sure you've listened to again and again.

I thought it would be fun to learn a little bit more about this artist, by learning a few of her favorite things! Let's see how it goes.

What is her favorite...

Animal? - Moose---Majestic and calm looking but bigger and more threatening than you'd think 

Disney song to sing? - When Will My Life Begin? From Tangled

Crayon color? - cerulean 

Coffee order? - Hazelnut latte with oatmilk

Baseball team? - Houston Astros

Vacation spot? - Montauk (just visited for the first time with my mom)

Place to shop? - any thrift store or vintage/antique shop (I also tend to shop in my brothers' or my mother's closets---that's where all my favorite clothes come from lol)

Star Wars character? - Anakin Skywalker---I think I'm just had a crush on him as a little girl lol

Winter activity? - Snow tubing! (hooking up an old tire wheel to the back of the fourwheeler and getting pulled around my grandpa's farmyard)

Beverage? - iced latte 

Restaurant? - I just love going to my local deli and getting a grilled chicken sandwich lol. I don't eat out much. 

Book? - Song of Achilles! 

Song? - 'Lotus Eater' by Finneas

City? - NYC baby home sweet home

Ice cream flavor? - Chocolate 

Shape? - Heart <3

Article of clothing? - I love a good oversized vintage t-shirt with all my soul. Or a y2k baby doll t-shirt.

Place to walk? - Riverside in Manhattan---I live 7 minutes away from riverside park in Washington Heights :)

Season? - Fall

Cookie flavor? - Classic chocolate chip

String instrument? - guitar

Color rose? - Classic red

Superhero? - Recently---superman. I saw James Gunn's superman 3 times lol. But if I hadn't seen that and loved it so much it would be Captain America. 

Body piercing location? - Septum piercing (Someday I will have one) 

Candle scent? - Lavender or Eucalyptus 

Thing you did in the last 24 hours? - Went tubing at my lake in North Dakota! I'm at home right now!

Cheese? - Goat cheese paired with a baller jam (like peach reserves or something)

Female musician? - Madi Diaz

Disney character? - Probably Ariel from the little mermaid 

Social media platform? - Tik Tok! 

Type of big cat? - Lion 

Summer activity? - going to the beach

Toy as a child? - Barbies---and not like playing house, my Barbie stories were them trapped in the wilderness fighting each other for survival lol. 

Smell? - The smell of the inside of our family's barn in ND → it's like diesel, dust, animals, hay. I was working a catering shift at a truck convention recently and the smell of diesel reminded me of this lol. Kinda random but feels like home! 

Souvenir to bring home? - Seashells or something else I found in nature---something that can't be bought! 

That was fun!

As always, I want to thank Alaina Margaret for participating.

Be sure to follow her on Instagram, and Spotify right away. I would also visit her website to make sure you don't miss a thing. 

Thanks again Alaina Margaret!

Alaina Margaret Droog Returns with End Of Summer Bop "Too Soon?"

Alaina Margaret Droog, known for her compelling music and striking voice, returns with a brand-new single for 2025. “Too Soon?” is a product of deep soul-searching and the joy of turning to creating art on a whim amidst emotional turmoil. Alaina Margaret shares her background story of this track, which channels the freedom of indulging in the things that make you happy and unique. The track, recently penned on July 4 , came to life over a few 4 a.m. nights, with the help of an acoustic guitar, a bucket, a candle, and some knitting needles as makeshift drums, GarageBand, and a bedroom recording setup. Alaina Margaret recounts producing and mixing everything herself, and feeling the high of “I think I’m gonna release it!”

“Too Soon?” raises the question of “Is it too soon to move on?

Corey J. Bryant

 Too soon to be happy?” while proudly asserting that it’s never too soon to have fun and be who you want to be. The soft, playful introduction hints at Alaina’s previous acoustic folk tracks, but never prepares listeners for the all-out, powerful chorus that follows. The dynamic songwriting evokes memories of late-night road trips, screaming at the top of your lungs, blasting Olivia Rodrigo or Elle King. Summer’s magic is still lingering; it’s a time capsule you’ll look back on for years to come, but if you could only save the feelings forever, you’d be cured. Alaina Margaret’s vocal delivery invites you to get caught in the moment and feel alive before the summer ends. True art comes from a place of vulnerability, wondering if you can express yourself in a way that may heal or ignite something inside you, and for this one, we’re all feeling it. 

Alaina Margaret Droog Announces New Single!

Photo: Julianna McGuirl

FOR FANS OF Lizzy McAlpine, Gracie Abrams, or Kacey Musgraves

Alaina Margaret, known for her soul-stirring folk music, invites listeners to decipher a secret language between first loves. “42 (It Wouldn’t Mean a Thing)” is a hauntingly penned single recounting the unspoken signs that emerge in the aftermath of heartbreak. Alaina Margaret shares, “The song explores the experience of taking off the rose-colored glasses and realizing everything wasn’t quite as wonderful as it seemed.” 

The significance of “42” is tied to the experience of seeing angel numbers (111, 222, etc.) in everyday life. This particular number became a recurring symbol, often leaving an eerie memory of the past. Alaina Margaret’s reminiscent storytelling draws from a place of grief and longing but comes out clean on the other side, transformed. The atmosphere of “42” transports you back to the romanticism of first love, only to realize the image in your head was tainted from the start. 

Photo: J’Kobe Wallace

Crafted in collaboration with producer Tucker Bickell at Short Stack Studios, NYC, experience the spell of “42 (It Wouldn’t Mean a Thing),” set for release on November 11th.

Alaina Margaret Droog Visits Section 36 Music!

Photo: Julianna McGuirl

Let's keep things rolling with another visitor to Section 36 Music! Alaina Margaret Droog is fresh of her spectacular debut single "Rabbit Hole", and is definitely an artist to keep your eye one. I was thrilled Alaina Margaret wanted to visit with us to discuss the single, her musical goals, and more!

So, let's see what happens when Alaina Margaret Droog visits Section 36 Music!

I absolutely loved your recent debut single, “Rabbit Hole”. What can you tell me about it?

‘Rabbit Hole’ is a song about using the internet to cope with heartbreak; whether that be when the internet stalking goes so far to the point that you’re using a Spotify playlist to determine whether or not your ex has moved on from you or not, or obsessively watching YouTube videos like Ted Talks or guided meditations trying to find the one thing that’s going to make it all better. It’s a vulnerable expression of this insatiable need to know what is going on in your ex’s life—which we’ve all had at one point or another. It’s a song about acceptance, and coming to terms with the fact that you will never really know. You lost all rights to their life when you broke up. And all of the internet tidbits, or anything you find on their various profiles is only an “echo” of the truth or some warped version of reality. The one thing you can take comfort in though is that they will never really know what’s going on in your life either. This song is edgy, ethereal, with a mountainous, wanderlust vibe—only this kind of wanderlust is taking you on a journey to the depths of your heart and of course…down a rabbit hole :) 

What was your favorite part about the recording process?

Working with Tucker was so awesome. I think my favorite part was just bouncing ideas off of each other and how it felt like we were reading each other’s minds! Tucker’s so smart about knowing what will really build the arc of the song, so it kind of felt like we were doing fun, musician, detective work. “What’s going to make this sound the best it can be?” 

Do you see more studio work in your future?

Absolutely! Maybe even in the quite near future…hehe

Who or what would you consider your biggest musical influences?

Recently I’ve been listening to a lot of Madi Diaz, she’s got such raw and pointed lyrics, and also Finneas. Both of these artists push boundaries and aren’t afraid to get in your face with their art. Their style is clever and unique also a lil cheeky at times, which is something I really love. I also listened to a lot of country music growing up. I like Toby Keith, Zac Brown Band, the occasional Swifty song, Olivia Rodrigo, Lizzy McAlpine, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, and Kacey Musgraves—a few of my other favorite artists.

With your background in theatre as well as music performances, what do you enjoy most about being on stage in front of an audience?

Something I love about being on stage, is just that I feel so connected to the people. Maybe it’s because adrenaline is so high, but when I’m on stage it feels like nothing else exists or matters in the world besides the audience and the music and that present moment. It’s really grounding and beautiful. 

What are your immediate music goals?

My immediate music goals may or may not include finishing up recording songs for a potential larger project I’m working on—more to come on that later! And also continuing to play live shows, open mic nights, and write whenever I can! 

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Ooh, a "larger project" sounds great to me!

As always, I want to thank Alaina Margaret for visiting with us, and for sending along the pictures to accompany the interview.

I'm sure you’ll all want to follow her and see what she has going on. I would follow her on Instagram, and Spotify right away. I would also visit her website to make sure you don't miss a thing. 

Thanks again Alaina Margaret, and good luck reaching your goals!

New Music From Lucia Dostal, Mori, Girl Annual, Tiril Jackson, and Alaina Margaret Droog!

 

"Wild Child" - by Lucia Dostal

Release Date: October 4, 2024

What You Should Know: "The inspiration for this whole project began during a backpacking trip in The White Mountains of New Hampshire, where I wrote Wild Child. Spending that trip outdoors made me realize how disconnected much of our society is from the natural world. This EP features my awesome friend & co-writer @jacob_redmusic on Little Island: Our song about our own Prince Edward Island."

Find It: Everywhere, like  Apple or Spotify

Other Noteworty Releases: Lucia Dostal

Her Spotify Playlist Inclusions: "What 2024 Sounds Like From Section 36", "What 2023 Sounds Like From Section 36", "Women Going Places, from Section 36"

Previously on Section 36: "Lucia Dostal Visits Section 36 Music!"

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"the hill i die on" - by Mori 

What You Should Know: "i have a few gifts for you and here is the first of them. i wrote hill back in december at 4 o’clock in the morning. i was bothered and restless, so i sat down to write what i thought would be yet another song about the same person i’ve been writing about for the last three years. instead, the first words out of my mouth were finally what i’d needed to say and never wanted to.

i wrote the first verse and chorus, recorded a voice note to listen to while i thought of more ideas in the shower, walked into the bathroom of my lonely little apartment and cried and cried and cried. my first attempt at loosening my grip on a person i held so dearly before. and here it is."

Find It: Everywhere, like  Apple or Spotify

Playlist Inclusions: "What 2024 Sounds Like From Section 36", "What 2023 Sounds Like From Section 36", "Women Going Places, from Section 36"

Previously on Section 36: "Mori Visits Section 36 Music!"

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"Ember" - by Girl Annual

Release Date - September 27, 2024

What You Should Know: "it’s called «ember» and it’s about rationalizing feelings, calculating your way in and out of love. it‘s also about being unintentionally mean, and then being intentionally mean. and it was inspired by diane from bojack."

Find It: Everywhere, like Apple or Spotify

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"Who Are You" - by Tiril Jackson 

Release Date: September 26, 2024

What You Should Know: "I want those who connect with my EP to feel okay being vulnerable and honest. I want to create a space where people can feel safe to embrace their whole selves, including their inner demons, and remind them that change is only natural and part of the journey :)"

Find It: Spotify or Apple

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"Rabbit Hole" - by Alaina Margaret Droog

Release Date: October 11, 2024

What You Should Know: "The lyrics of “Rabbit Hole” explore the universal experience of using the Internet to cope with heartbreak, eagerly seeking a glimpse of closure, and coming to terms with no longer being a part of someone’s life. Alaina Margaret describes the song as “edgy with a mountainous wanderlust vibe---only this kind of wanderlust travels through the depths of your heart, and of course, down a rabbit hole.”

Find It: Spotify or Apple